Top 15 Star Wars Villains: Episode III

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It's the final countdown for the greatest Star Wars villains ever.

By Jesse Schedeen

What is Star Wars if not a tale pitting the heroic forces of good against a tyrannical evil? With the saga extending its tendrils into every conceivable form of pop culture – novels, comics, videogames – it should come as no surprise that the list of memorable Star Wars villains has grown very long over the years.

We were faced with the unenviable task of cutting this list down to size and picking the very best of the best. Whose lightsaber is sharpest? Which bounty hunter is the scummiest of all? Where does that insufferable Jar Jar fit into it all?

Today we present Episode III, the final part of our countdown. As always, feel free to blast the comments section with your thoughts and picks for the greatest Star Wars villains of all time.

Why we love to hate them: Technically we're cheating by including two villains in this slot. Still, the lives of these two Sith lords are so closely intertwined it's difficult to separate them. Both grew to prominence as Jedi during the time of the Old Republic. Revan was driven to darkness by the terrible events of the Mandalorian Wars, and his apprentice was only too willing to follow him.

Visually, both Jedi are immediately memorable. Revan wore full body armor to disguise his appearance. Malak, after losing his lower jaw in a lightsaber duel, was forced to don a metallic prosthesis and speak through an electronic vocoder. Even Darth Vader wasn't quite so skilled at scaring the bejeezus out of his troops.

Revan's Jedi Civil War was among the most devastating the galaxy had ever seen. Thanks to his brilliant strategic mind and the dark weapon known as the Star Forge, Revan and Malak seemed poised to conquer the galaxy. However, Malak followed in the proud tradition of the Sith and betrayed his master, assuming control of the Sith armada for himself.

Revan wasn't quite dead, however. He returned and took revenge on his former pupil. More importantly, Revan proved in the end that he wasn't fully tainted by the Dark Side. He disabled the Star Forge and prevented further war. From that point Revan disappeared out of all knowledge, and we can only hope we haven't seen the last of this tragic figure.

Defining moment of villainy: In some ways the galaxy would have been better off if Malak had never overthrow Revan. The latter used his military genius to minimize casualties. Malak, on the other hand, reveled in the slaughter and took pleasure in ravaging entire star systems with his invincible Sith armada. Good thing that jerk got what was coming to him.

Trivia: Darth Nihilus, the main villain of Knights of the Old Republic 2, wears a distinctive mask made of bone. Originally this mask was supposed to be carved from Revan's skull, but the developers felt it was better to leave Revan's fate open.